This invention relates generally to new and improved telephone network interface apparatus, and more particularly relates to new and improved telephone network interface apparatus for interconnecting incoming telephone company wiring to subscriber premises wiring and for providing a demarcation point therebetween to determine whether a fault exists on the incoming telephone company wiring or the subscriber premises wiring and which apparatus selectively allows for both individual subscriber and telephone company personnel access to the interior of the apparatus. This invention also relates to a new and improved individual subscriber line module which may be provided with a lockable subscriber security cover for denying other subscribers access to the individual subscriber's terminals.
Since the deregulation of the telephone industry and divestiture of portions of the Bell System, a competitive telephone equipment industry has arisen which, as it further develops, requires for saleability of telephone equipment a decrease in cost and an increase in cost avoidance in new telephone equipment providing increased functionality.
Accordingly, and as is further known to those skilled in the art, numerous prior art telephone network interface apparatus are known which are of the dual or double cover construction including both a telephone company cover and a subscriber cover mounted pivotally to a base. In such construction, as is further known, typically both the telephone company cover and the subscriber cover overlie and cover the entire base which construction requires that both covers be made of sufficient material for such coverage. Thus, there exists a need in the art, for reduced cost, to provide telephone network interface apparatus including both a telephone company door cover and a subscriber cover where at least one of the covers may be made of less material thereby reducing cost while still providing the selective access to the interior of the apparatus for both telephone company personnel and the subscriber.
As is further known to those skilled in the art, there exists a need for a new and improved, relatively inexpensive, individual subscriber line module, which can be mounted removably to telephone network interface apparatus for easy removal, and which includes a pair of subscriber wiring terminals, a plug, and a jack, and which provides internal space for receiving a telephone circuit such as a maintenance termination unit, half-ringer, and the like.
As is further known to those skilled in the art, prior art telephone network interface apparatus are known which include individual subscriber line modules but such prior art modules typically, as is still further known, unwantedly require that an entire module be discarded if a single non-function occurs in any component of the module. Accordingly, there exists a need in this art for new and improved telephone network interface apparatus of increased modularity, and for new and improved individual subscriber line modules which, upon the occurrence of a non-function in a single component of a module requires that less than the entire module be discarded.
As is still further known to those skilled in the art, telephone network interface apparatus are known to the prior art which include individual subscriber line modules provided with individual security covers for denying other subscribers access to an individual subscriber's line. These individual security covers are typically locked in place by a padlock, and the construction of the prior art telephone network interface apparatus is such that in the event the individual subscriber moves away and leaves the padlock locked in place, telephone company personnel upon opening of the telephone company cover can remove the locked padlock and gain access to the subscriber's individual line. However, while such prior art telephone network apparatus perform generally well, there exists a need in such apparatus for improved structure for facilitating removal of the locked padlock by the telephone company personnel in a more efficient and less time consuming manner than is presently required with such prior art telephone network interface apparatus.
As is still further known to those skilled in the art, to ring a subscriber's telephone a ringing voltage is applied to the incoming telephone line; the typical ringing voltage is 120 volts, two seconds on and two seconds off. Upon an individual subscriber line module including a pair of exposed subscriber terminals to which the subscriber premises line is connected, and upon such subscriber terminals being connected to the incoming telephone line through a plug plugged into a jack, the subscriber can be exposed to potential ringing voltage shock hazard upon the subscriber inadvertently touching the subscriber terminals while the ringing voltage is applied thereto. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to prevent such subscriber potential ringing voltage shock hazard.